This is an eight-week support and psycho-educational group for people suffering from anxiety and/or depression. Learn how to identify the causes and triggers of low mood and anxiety and how it impacts on our thinking and behaviour. Develop self-awareness, eliminate unhelpful thinking and learn practical strategies for managing stress, anxiety and depression.

Unlike usual human emotions, depression can strike anyone, at any time, and often for no good reason at all. And while many people don’t like to talk about it, depression is also surprisingly common, affecting more than one million Australians every year.

There’s a range of treatment options available for depression. While it’s a good idea to seek advice from a health care professional, Lifeline Northern Beaches offers face-to-face counselling and runs this support group to provide additional help.

Anxiety affects people in a range of ways, and contrary to what some people think, it’s not ‘all in your head’ – some symptoms are very physical! Here are some of the common tell-tale signs:

• A racing heart
• Difficulty breathing
• Confusion
• Feeling faint or dizzy
• Panic attacks
• Mounting feelings of distress or nausea
• Irrational fears or phobias
• Trembling
• Thoughts like “I’m not going to be able to cope with this…”

The support group helps members understand their anxiety, identify triggers, and find ways to manage it.

Through relaxation, meditation and breathing exercises, you will learn how to develop the thought patterns and personal behaviours that will enable you to minimise and manage your anxiety. This includes learning to eliminate unhelpful thought patterns and deal with worry.

Open to anyone experiencing depression and/or anxiety, our support group allows members to discuss what they’re going through with other people who really understand. Our participants find that being part of the group, sharing insights, and learning from the experiences of others, really does help.

Our group also provides members with practical strategies for coping with depression and anxiety – all of which are based on tried and tested practices such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Mindfulness techniques and Solution Focused Brief Therapy. With the help our facilitators, group members also learn new ways to relate to others, and develop greater strength and resilience.

This group is run over a eight-week period, enabling group members to build genuine relationships with a constant group of people.

When: Tuesdays 10:00am – 11:30am
Where: Lifeline Northern Beaches Office: 310 Sydney Road, Balgowlah NSW 2093
Duration: 8 weeks (Booking Essential)
Cost: $10/session (but if you are unable to pay just let us know)